Monika and Maj-Britt could not be more different. Monika lives with a man who adores her; Maj-Britt can barely manage to write her former husband's name. Monika, the chief surgeon at a regional hospital, has an overwhelming roster of family and professional obligations; Maj-Britt is a recluse, all but imprisoned by her own obesity. But they do have one thing in common: Both are tormented by memories that only the most excruciating vigilance can keep suppressed. And when chance brings the two women together, those memories can no longer stay contained.